Simon Carter

Simon Carter, a professional artist living on the Essex coast near Frinton-on-Sea, was appointed to the board of the Victor Batte-Lay Foundation in 2019. Simon was born and raised on the Essex coast and went to secondary school and foundation course in Colchester. He has had a life-long relationship with The Minories, as a child being taken there by his mother to see some of his earliest exhibitions. He has had two solo exhibitions at The Minories and recently co-curated the Peter Coker exhibition on behalf of Colchester Art Society.

Simon has a studio in Frinton-on-Sea, using the coastal landscape as source material for his painting. He is represented by Messum’s.

Simon has been President of Colchester Art Society since 2015 and has worked to elevate the profile of the Society, and to put it into healthy relationship with the School of Art, Cuckoo Farm Studios, The Minories and Firstsite. In Simon’s time as President membership of the Society has grown by over 50%.

Simon is also co-founder of Contemporary British Painting, a national artist-run collective of over 60 artists that promotes painting, runs a national painting prize, curates exhibitions internationally and places work in museum collections.

With artist Robert Priseman, Simon co-founded East Contemporary Art, a collection of over 100 works by artists of the eastern region. The collection is now housed and owned by the University of Suffolk.

Simon is keen to contribute to the work of the Victor Batte-Lay Foundation, to developing its art collection and working to maintain The Minories as a vibrant artistic, social and cultural space, vital to the cultural mix of Colchester and the wider region.